Office of Emergency Management

Announcing the newly revised UCR Emergency Operations Plan, access to the document is restricted to faculty and staff. Please get in touch with the Office of Emergency Management via email if you have any questions.

Emergency Response Procedures

Emergency preparedness is a well-known concept in protecting workers’ safety and health. Anticipating and planning UCR’s campus emergency response minimizes possible injuries and property damage during a campus-wide emergency and eases the return to normal campus operations.

Select a topic below for specific response details.

Immediate Actions

Campus Active Shooter Protocol

If the shooter is outside your building and you are told to lockdown :

1 . If you cannot evacuate, turn off all the lights, close blinds, close and lock all windows and doors. If you cannot lock the door, try to barricade the door with heavy furniture, use a belt to help keep it closed (see RAIN video )

2. Keep quiet and out of sight; seek the safest spot in the room. Hide behind a concrete wall or a heavy object. be ready to Counter shooter as he enters (throw objects, yell, swarm to take down if necessary)

3. Do not respond to anyone who knocks on the door, and keep it locked unless you are sure it is a police officer or campus administrator known to you.

If the shooter is inside your building :

1. If it is possible to escape the area safely and avoid danger, do so by the nearest exit or window.

2. As you exit the building, keep your hands above your head and listen for instructions that police officers may give. If an officer points a firearm at you, make no movement that may cause the officer to mistake your actions for a threat. Try to stay calm.

3. If you cannot escape the building, move out of the hallway and into an office or classroom and try to lock the door. If the door does not lock, try barricading the door with desks and chairs. Be ready to Counter shooter as he enters (throw objects, yell, swarm to take down if necessary)

If the shooter enters your office or classroom:

1. There is no set procedure in this situation. If possible, call 911 and talk with a police dispatcher. If you cannot speak, leave the phone line open so the police can hear what is going on.

2. Counter shooter as he enters (throw objects, yell, swarm to take down if necessary) Attempting to overcome the suspect with force is a last resort that should only be considered in the most extreme circumstances. Only you can decide if this is something you should do. Remember, there may be more than one shooter.

3. If the shooter exits your area and you can escape, leave the area immediately. Do not touch anything in the area, and remember to be alert for responding police officers who may mistake you as the shooter.

4 . While escaping, as soon as you see a police officer, put your hands over your head and immediately comply with the officer’s instructions.

5. While others are securing your place of refuge: BSEC, faculty, or other designated person call UCPD at 911 or 951-827-5222 and provide police with critical information as follows:

• Your building and your location, in that building

• The number of assailants involved and description (race, gender, height, weight, clothing)

• Types of weapons being used (handgun, shotgun, rifle, etc.)

• Number of people in your location, number injured, and severity of injuries

• Comfort the injured and, if able, provide first aid.

Immediate Actions

If a bomb threat is received by phone

• Take the caller seriously and remain calm
• Try to keep the caller on the phone by asking questions using the Bomb Threat Checklist
• Listen carefully: don’t interrupt the caller or hang up
• If possible, write a note to a coworker asking him/her to “call 911 to report a bomb threat”
• Call 911 immediately once the call has ended to report the details

If a bomb threat is received by mail

• Stop additional handling of the letter or parcel
• Call 911 immediately
• UCPD or UCR officials will determine if evacuation is necessary
• Secure room/area if possible, allowing entry to emergency responders only
• Advise campus personnel not to use 2-way radios in the area

If a bomb threat is received by email

• Call 2-5222, or 911 immediately
• Print a copy for UCPD
• Do not delete the message

Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

• If instructed to do so, initiate building evacuation by activating any fire alarm box (pull alarm)
• Evacuate the building and report to Emergency Assembly Area (EAA)
• Wait for emergency response personnel or the Building Supervisor for Emergency Conditions (BSEC) to authorize that it is safe to reenter affected area
• Provide the completed Bomb Threat Checklist to UCPD officer-in-charge at the scene
• Notify your supervisor or department head of bomb threat if they were not in the area when it occurred

Before an earthquake

Check for hazards in the home and office

• Make sure shelves are secure and designed with latching doors or raised edges to prevent objects from falling
• Top-heavy furniture and equipment must be bolted to walls or floor. (Physical Plant can assist with these measures)
• Store breakables and heavy objects on lower shelves
• Overhead lights, heavy artwork, and mirrors need to be anchored ( Facilities Services Request )
• Store flammable liquids in flammable liquids storage cabinets

During an earthquake

If you are indoors :

• Stay indoors! Drop to the ground; take cover by getting under a sturdy table, bench or desk and hold on. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch down into a ball next to an interior wall.* Move away from windows that may break and furniture or large objects that could fall over.
• Be aware that the electricity may go out and fire alarms and sprinkler systems may activate.
• If you are in bed stay there! Hold on and put a pillow over your head for protection.
• If you are in a theater or stadium, stay in your seat or get under it if possible, and protect your head with your arms. Do not try to leave until the shaking is over.
• If you are in a crowded room or public place, do not rush for exits. Move away from display shelves holding objects that could fall on you and “drop, cover and hold.”
• Do not use elevators.

If you are outdoors:

• Stay outdoors!
• Move to an open area away from trees, buildings, utility poles and lines, or signs.
• If you are in a downtown area, on a sidewalk near a tall building, get inside the building’s lobby to protect yourself from falling bricks, glass or other debris.
• Greatest danger exists directly outside buildings at exits and alongside exterior walls.

If you are driving:

• Pull to the side of the road as quickly as possible, but keep away from overhead hazards such as trees, buildings, utility poles and lines, signs, and bridges. Stay in the vehicle until the shaking stops.

After an earthquake:

• Check yourself and those around you for injuries.
• Evaluate for yourself, or wait for instructions from your Building Safety Emergency Coordinator (BSEC), to determine if evacuation is necessary.
  • If the building seems largely unscathed, stay where you are.
  • If there are noticeable cracks in the wall, windows are broken, or you can smell natural gas (rotten eggs), then proceed with evacuation protocols.

  WHEN TO GO HOME

  In the event of a major earthquake, be prepared to stay on campus. You should not try and get home until emergency personnel say it is safe, the streets are cleared for travel, and most emergency conditions have been stabilized. The campus is prepared to provide emergency care and shelter in partnership with the American Red Cross.

  Immediate Actions

  For police or medical emergencies

  • Dial 9-1-1 from any campus phone
  • Use emergency call boxes, campus emergency phones or elevator emergency
    phones/intercoms
  • If necessary, the campus fire alarm pull-boxes can be used to summon an emergency response from UCPD
  • Note: Dialing 911 from a cell phone while on campus will connect you to the nearest California Highway Patrol Dispatch (there may be a delay in answering your call) and they will transfer your call to UCPD

  For fire, earthquake, or campus closures:

  • Only use phones or cell phones to dial 9-1-1 for emergency situations
  • Listen to radio bulletins, watch TV news, and check the campus status

  Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

  Information concerning emergencies at UCR and related topics will be available to the campus community through the following resources:

  • UCR Website at www.ucr.edu
  • UCR Campus Status
  • UCR Campus Radio KUCR: 88.3 FM or www.KUCR.edu
  • Riverside Area News and Information Radio
    • KFRG 95.1 FM or KGGI 99.1 FM
    • KFI 640 AM or KNX 1070 AM

    Immediate Actions

    Quickly leave the building when the fire alarm sounds or evacuation is initiated by emergency personnel

    If working with high heat, open flame or a hazardous experiment or procedure, complete safety shutdown procedures if it is safe to do so, and then evacuate the building quickly

    Take personal items or other important materials with you if it is safe to do so. You may not be returning for some time

    If mobility impaired:

    • Locate and proceed to an area of safe refuge, such as an enclosed stairwell
    • Request others evacuating to notify emergency responders of your location
    • Wait for emergency responders to arrive

    Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

    Definition

    Exposure. Direct contact between eye, mouth, mucous membrane, skin cut, or abrasion with blood or any other potentially infectious material

    Immediate Actions

    • Skin exposure: Thoroughly wash the contact area with soap and water immediately
    • Eye exposure: Flush eyes with water for 15 minutes using eyewash
    • Needlestick, cut, bite exposure: Thoroughly wash the wound with soap and water
    • Call 911 for medical help

    Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

    • Notify supervisor of exposure to a potentially infectious fluid
    • Notify EH&S as soon as possible of potential infection from blood or body fluid due to exposure
      • During business hours contact Environmental Health & Safety (951) 827-5528 to report exposure (Monday through Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm)
      • After hours contact UCPD Dispatch (951) 827-5222 and request they notify EH&S

      Immediate Actions

      • Alert others nearby of the condition
      • Activate the building fire alarm
      • Call 2-5222, or 911 to report any fire or smoke condition, if it is safe and possible to do so
      • Quickly leave the building when the fire alarm sounds or evacuation is initiated by emergency personnel
      • If working with high heat, open flame or a hazardous experiment or procedure, complete safety shutdown procedures if it is safe to do so, and then evacuate the building
      • Quickly take personal items or other important materials with you if it is safe to do so. You may not be returning for some time
      • Close doors as you leave
      • Stay to the right of hallways and stairs; do not use elevators
      • Assist people with disabilities if needed
      • Avoid any smoke-filled area if possible; if you are in a smoke-filled area, stay low to the floor and crawl under the smoke to an exit
      • If your clothing catches fire: Stop, Drop, and Roll to extinguish flames
      • Follow evacuation routes directly to building’s Emergency Assembly Area (EAA)
      • Notify emergency staff at the Emergency Assembly Area that you have evacuated safely

      If mobility impaired:

      • Locate and proceed to an area of safe refuge such as an enclosed stairwell
      • Request others evacuating to notify emergency responders of your location
      • Wait for emergency responders to arrive

      Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

      • Remain in the Emergency Assembly Area until directed otherwise
      • Never try to re-enter a building until cleared to do so by UCR officials or emergency responders

      Immediate Actions

      For exposures

      Skin contact: External exposure or splash:

      • Call 2-5222, or 911 and ask for assistance from co-workers if available
      • Start shower/eyewash
      • Remove contaminated clothing, if appropriate
      • Wash for at least 15 minutes
      • Seek additional assistance as necessary
      • Leave the area and go to an area with fresh air
      • If you have shortness of breath or trouble breathing, call 2-5222, or 911 for help
      • Call 911 for help
      • Call the National Capital Poison Center (800) 222-1222 for poison emergencies.

      For Spills

      If Hazardous Material Spill or Release:

      • If you have been trained and have the proper materials, contain or clean up the spill and call EH&S at (951) 827-5528
      • If you have not been trained or cannot contain the spill, call 911 for help

      Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

      • Report all incidents to your supervisor
      • Decontaminate all useable equipment
      • Properly dispose of hazardous waste through EH&S at (951) 827-5528

      Immediate Actions

      National Emergency occurs:

      • your radio or TV to a local Emergency Alert System (EAS) station and follow instructions
      • Follow directions of emergency response personnel, your Building Supervisor for Emergency Conditions (BSEC), or Building Emergency Staff (BES)

      Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

      • Information concerning emergencies at UCR and related topics is available to the campus
        community through the following resources:
        • UCR Website at www.ucr.edu
        • UCR Campus Radio KUCR: 88.3 FM or www.KUCR.edu
        • Riverside Area News and Information Radio
          • KFRG 95.1 FM or KGGI 99.1 FM
          • KFI 640 AM or KNX 1070 AM

          Immediate Actions

          General steps in medical emergencies

          • Check the scene to see that it is safe and that you and victim are not in danger
          • Call 2-5222, or 911 (or ask someone to call 911) to request medical assistance; state the type of medical emergency it appears to be (cut, head injury, heart attack, etc.)
          • Get office First Aid Kit and use needed supplies as directed or to the level of your first aid training
          • Retrieve and use any other appropriate and available emergency medical equipment (e.g., automatic external defibrillator (AED))
          • Remain calm and reassure the victim while waiting for emergency personnel

          Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

          • Report any injury to your immediate supervisor
          • Replace any materials used from the First Aid Kit
          • Do not move the victim if unsure about head/neck injury

          UC Riverside closely monitors national and worldwide events related to influenza outbreaks. Pandemic preparedness, response and recovery plans and resources develop critical life-safety and health protection measures . These are intended to minimize exposure, maintain critical University services, sustain critical research activities, protect assets, and return to normal operations as quickly as possible.

          What you can do to stay healthy

          There are everyday actions people can take to stay healthy.

          • Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it
          • Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective
          • Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way

          Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

          • Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people
          • If you get sick, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them

          Immediate Actions

          For Exposures

          For events that create an immediate danger to life/property or if an injury has already occurred:

          For unexpected exposure to radiation or ingestion of radioactive materials

          • Call EH&S at (951) 827-5528 for instructions
          • Call 2-5222, or 911 if it is after 5PM or a weekend/holiday

          For eye contamination

          • Call 2-5222, or 911 for help and ask for assistance from co-workers if available
          • Use eye wash for at least 15 minutes
          • Completely rinse the entire eye area, including eyelid and skin underneath eye

          For skin contamination

          • Call EH&S at (951) 827-5528 for decontamination instructions and a dose assessment; Call 2-5222, or 911 if it is after 5PM or a weekend/holiday
          • Contain area of contamination by proper monitoring techniques
          • Wash area several times with soap and warm (not hot) water
          • Use a mildly abrasive soap, soft-bristled brush or emery board if detectable contamination is still present
          • Resurvey the contaminated area after each decontamination
          • Repeat decontamination steps until survey results do not change or if the skin is getting more irritated

          For contaminated lab coat, clothing or shoes:

          • Remove contaminated items and check skin underneath for contamination
          • If skin is contaminated, follow instructions for skin contamination
          • Call EH&S at (951) 827-5528 for instructions; Call 2-5222, or 911 if it is after 5:00 pm or a weekend/holiday

          For Spills

          For radioactive liquid spills:

          • If you have been trained and have the proper materials, contain or clean up spill and call EH&S at (951) 827-5528
          • If you have not been trained or can’t contain the spill, call 2-5222, or 911 for help

          For airborne release of radioactive gas, dust, volatile liquid or rupture of a sealed source:

          • Call 2-5222, or 911 for help
          • Do not attempt to decontaminate anything
          • Turn off fans and blowers and close all ventilation
          • Evacuate the area, closing and locking doors after leaving the room(s)
          • Place warning signs that no one should enter room (s) on every access door
          • Any potentially contaminated people should move to a nearby secure area until monitoring can take place

          For loss or theft of radioactive materials, sealed sources, or radiation producing machines:

          Additional Information / Follow-up Activities

          • Report all incidents to your supervisor
          • Decontaminate all useable equipment unless directed otherwise within procedures or by EH&S
          • Properly dispose of radioactive waste through EH&S at 827-5528

          Definitions

          Suspicious Parcel or Object. Anything that is out of place and cannot be accounted for, or any item suspected of
          being an explosive device

          Immediate Actions

          If you receive or discover a suspicious letter or package:

          • Do not touch, tamper with, or move it
          • Call 2-5222, or 911 and report what you suspect immediately to UCPD
          • Campus police will determine if evacuation or other action is necessary
          • Notify your supervisor of what you suspect

          Additional Information / Follow Up Activities

          Indicators that make a letter or package suspicious

          • Powdery substance, oily stains, major discoloration, or crystallization on outside
          • An unexpected letter from someone unfamiliar, has no return address, or is postmarked from a foreign country that may or may not match the return address
          • Excessive postage, a handwritten or poorly typed address, no name, or misspelled common words
          • The unusual weight given size, excessively bulky or lopsided or oddly shaped, or has an unusual amount of tape
          • Has a strange odor
          • Addressed to someone no longer with your organization, uses a wrong title, or reflects outdated personal information concerning addressee
          • Has restrictive endorsements such as “Personal” or “To Be Opened By Addressee Only”

          Immediate Actions

          Electricity (power failure)

          • Evacuate darkened areas with caution
          • If working with high heat, open flame, or a hazardous experiment or procedure, complete safety shutdown procedures if it is safe to do so, and then evacuate the building
          • Call Facility Services at (951) 827-4214 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) or Steam Plant at (951) 827-4677 (after 5:00 pm or weekends/holidays), then call UCPD at (951) 827-5222
          • Report the location and hazards of machinery or operations that were interrupted
          • Report emergencies to UCPD at 911

          Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS)

          • When severe weather and fire conditions threaten a portion of the electric infrastructure or community, Southern California Edison may turn off electricity supply to Riverside Public Utilities in the interest of public safety.
          • Public Safety Power Shutoff’s may occur with as little as a day’s notice and can remain active for days. It is best to be prepared for a power outage at all times.
          • In the event of a PSPS, recharging stations will be setup by the University prioritizing students with medical needs or other vital functions.

          How to Prepare for a Power Outage in a Laboratory

          • Be sure the contact information on your lab door placard is up-to-date. Ideally, contacts should be knowledgeable about all of the lab’s sensitive operations.
          • Put essential equipment on emergency power circuits, if available.
          • Hazardous processes that operate unattended should be programmed to shut down safely during a power failure and not restart automatically when power returns.
          • Identify an emergency source of dry ice for items that must be kept cold. Do not use dry ice in small enclosed and occupied areas because hazardous concentrations of CO2 can accumulate. Unopened refrigerators/ freezers will maintain temperature for several hours.

          During Power Outage in a Laboratory

          • Shut down experiments that involve hazardous materials or equipment that automatically restart when power is available.
          • Make sure that experiments are stable. Cap all chemical containers that are safe to cap, and then close fume hood sashes.
          • Check equipment on emergency power. In some cases, it may take 20 to 30 seconds for the emergency power to activate after a power failure.
          • Disconnect unattended equipment and turn off unnecessary equipment.
          • When power returns, reset/restart/check equipment. Check the airflow of your fume hood. Often, hoods will not automatically restart.

          Learn more about how to prepare before, during and after a power outage

          Elevator (failure)

          • Report elevator failures to Facility Services at (951) 827-4214 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) or Steam Plant at (951) 827-4677 (after 5:00 pm or weekends/holidays), then call UCPD at (951) 827-5222
          • If outside the elevator, try to communicate to trapped elevator occupants that help is on the way
          • If trapped inside the elevator, use the elevator phone to request help, or activate the emergency alarm within the elevator (The elevator phone has no dial tone so do not hang up after picking up the receiver)

          Flooding (plumbing failure)

          • Do not touch any electrical appliances
          • Call Facility Services at (951) 827-4214 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) or Steam Plant at (951) 827-4677 (after 5:00 pm or weekends/holidays), then call UCPD at (951) 827-5222
          • If it is safe to do so, lift valuable, or critical, items above the reach of the water

          Gas leak (natural gas)

          • Evacuate the building using evacuation routes
          • Do not turn “on/off” switches on lights or electrical equipment
          • If working with high heat, open flame, or a hazardous experiment or procedure, complete safety shutdown procedures if it is safe to do so, and then evacuate the building
          • Stay to the right of hallways and stairs; do not use elevators
          • Assist people with disabilities if needed
          • Once outside, call UCPD at 911
          • Go to the building’s Emergency Assembly Area (EAA) and notify emergency staff that you have evacuated safely

          Steam Line failure

          • Leave the immediate area
          • Call Facility Services at (951) 827-4214 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) or Steam Plant at (951) 827-4677 (after 5:00 pm or weekends/holidays), then call UCPD at (951) 827-5222

          Ventilation problem (odors)

          • Call Facility Services at (951) 827-4214 (8:00 am – 5:00 pm) or Steam Plant at (951) 827-4677 (after 5:00 pm or weekends/holidays), then call UCPD at (951) 827-5222

          Immediate Actions

          If you are a victim of, or witness any crime or act of violence on campus:

          http://emergency.ucr.edu/emergency-preparedness